Welcome to the first edition of Rough Notes for the new academic year. Thank you for taking the time to read our monthly publication. Last year was one disrupted, yet again, by …[Read More]

Still to come we have Junior Awards Evening; a Year 9 Maths Live day; a History Department visit to Chalke Valley; CCF Army camp; the Year 7 Maiden Castle Trip; the Year 11 and Year 13 Proms …[Read More]

I often wonder why so many parents have so little trust in the work we do at Woodroffe nowadays but then I look around at what’s going on in schools both nationally and locally and I begin to see …[Read More]

Woodroffe looks wonderful in the snow. Less so when the snow begins to melt. Much less so when we are trying to decide whether to close the school or not. This year, fortunately, the snow fell thick …[Read More]

This is the fiftieth edition of Rough Notes since it moved to its current format and clearly something worth shouting about. I am delighted to say that as an online publication it has more than …[Read More]

‘April is the cruellest month,’ said TS Eliot but January surely runs a close second. Relentless rain, gusts of freezing wind and seemingly constant darkness do little to inspire. Damp students huddle…[Read More]

The Year 7 Panto trip to see Cinderella offers a tempting metaphor for the current state of the education system. Kept in thrall by the ugly sisters of the Department for Education and the government’s …[Read More]

In my introduction to last month’s edition of Rough Notes, I was proudly able to proclaim that Woodroffe was the highest attaining secondary school in Dorset with 84% of students achieving the …[Read More]

In a recent news article, I described Woodroffe as something of a hidden gem and, as we start a new academic year, this is an idea worth reflecting upon. It cannot be denied that, in the eyes of …[Read More]

The recent production of Little Shop of Horrors was not only superb but it is a symbol of all that Woodroffe stands for as a school. First there is the quality. How many schools have the skills and ambition to present …[Read More]

The exam season is upon us and it seems to start earlier and earlier each year. Students in Years 11, 12 and 13 are all taking exams and large areas of the school will become inaccessible as we try to ensure …[Read More]

The last week of term before Easter is always incredibly busy but it is also one of those moments in the year when we are encouraged to stop and think about exactly how much goes on here. The …[Read More]

Woodroffe has always had a reputation for paying close attention to literacy and, of course, the promotion of reading. I like to think that the school genuinely has a reading culture. I am also confident that …[Read More]

Happy New Year! We are only a few weeks into the New Year but already there is a lot to celebrate and quite a bit to be worried about. The positives, as ever, come from the things Woodroffe students have been …[Read More]

The last couple of weeks before Christmas are characterised by an interesting blend of excitement and exhaustion. Everyone is excited about Christmas, and I’m sure that includes all those who insist …[Read More]

Although we are only just over half a term into the new academic year, autumn is very much about moving up and moving on. Students in Years 11, 12 and 13 are beginning to think more seriously about examination preparation …[Read More]

As you will have no doubt seen in the press, Woodroffe has been celebrating another year of excellent results both at GCSE and A Level. The way results were reported this year has been very confusing as a consequence …[Read More]